Personal Emergency Response Systems: Worth the Money?

People like to joke about those sometimes campy “I’ve fallen and can’t get up” commercials, but did you know there’s significant research showing those services are very beneficial? There are a few big brands, but the generic industry term for these call-for-help services is personal emergency response systems (PERS). Industry research shows that PERS reduce mortality rates by nearly four times and reduce the likelihood of hospitalization by 59%. Are they worth the subscription fee? One study found that PERS produce a cost-to-benefit ratio of 1.87 to one. Among the subset of people who have severe disabilities, the cost to benefit ratio is an impressive 7 to 1. Proving once again that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.